The institute, set up by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in April, aims to supervise the conservation of historic monuments around Poland and promote the conservation and protection of national heritage.
The campaign launched this week is designed to draw attention to the importance of preserving old buildings and monuments, which, according to Polish Culture Minister Piotr Gliński, is "both an obligation towards the country's national heritage and a duty towards future generations."
Speaking at the launch of the project, Gliński said the campaign would have a significant economic impact on the development of "Poland's towns and small localities."
“Restored monuments, historic buildings and sites attract visitors, generating profits for towns, cities and localities,” said Gliński, adding that conservation efforts often give a new lease of life to historic objects, turning them into sites of cultural and creative activities.
Gliński told reporters that monument protection in Poland has for years been lacking efficient ways to prevent damage and deterioration of precious sites.
"That is why the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has in recent years focused on introducing systematic preventive care of cultural monuments in Poland, increasing funds intended to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes and other artifacts of historical significance," he said.
Michał Laszczkowski, head of the National Institute for Conservation of Monuments, said that, according to recent surveys, Poles view historic monuments as extremely important.
"A survey conducted by pollster Ipsos showed that 85 percent of Poles see a huge chance for the development of their localities thanks to well preserved historical monuments,” Laszczkowski said.
“This came as a surprise to us because, while we were well aware that historic monuments are very important for Poles, we did not know that people looked at them from an economic point of view,” he added.
He also said that investing in the preservation of historic monuments was "not only a matter of national pride, but something that translates into economic gains."
The Ipsos survey also found that visiting historic sites is among the favourite pastimes of Poles, according to Laszczkowski.
He told reporters that there were more than 80,000 such sites in Poland, representing "potential that cannot be wasted."
(ab/gs)
Click on the "Play" button above for an audio report by Radio Poland’s Agnieszka Bielawska.